2012 Santos Tour Down Under, Pro Cycling News

Gerrans Leads Tour Down Under as Valverde Signals Return

justin davis/afp

ADELAIDE, January 21, 2012 (AFP) — Australian champion Simon Gerrans took possession of the Tour Down Under leader's jersey in a dramatic fifth and penultimate stage won by Spaniard Alejandro Valverde on Saturday.

Heading into Sunday's 90km race around Adelaide, Gerrans, of GreenEdge, is on the same time as Movistar team leader Valverde, with Portuguese Tiago Machado of RadioShack-Nissan in third at 9secs.

In a thrilling end to the 151.5km km stage from McLaren Vale to Old Willunga Hill, Valverde pipped Gerrans in an uphill sprint for the finish line.

While Gerrans will now look to hand nascent Australian team GreenEdge their maiden WorldTour victory, Movistar were celebrating a stylish win for Valverde on what is his first race since returning from a two-year doping ban.

Gerrans said: "It's fantastic; it's a pretty special moment for GreenEdge. In our first WorldTour outing, to have the lead going into the last stage is pretty good."

Arguably the most decisive stage of the race, stage five starred with a dozen riders still in contention to succeed last year's winner, Cameron Meyer.

But with the peloton climbing Willunga twice, and finishing on the summit for the first time, the going got tough once some leading teams began setting the pace after cresting the summit.

Valverde's Movistar outfit were alert to the danger, and had bodies up at the front when RadioShack-Nissan hit full gas in a bid to drop rivals and put their challenger, Belgian Jan Bakelants, in position.

Their efforts soon had the bulk of the peloton dropping off the back, with Gerrans, and many other contenders, holding on for dear life in a 25-man group which had a minute's deficit to a small group of leaders.

Left with no teammates, Gerrans did well to stay on the wheels as the chase group accelerated on the way to the foot of the climb in preparation for the final, 3.5 km punt to the line.

After the last remnants of an earlier six-man breakaway were reeled in, the final two kilometers saw young Australian Rohan Dennis and Portuguese Machado make a late bid for victory.

But they were overtaken in the final kilometre as the anticipated duel between Gerrans and Valverde materialized, the returning Spaniard pipping the new Aussie champion to the line in a finish which had the crowd in raptures.

By virtue of his better combined finishes than Valverde in previous stages this week, Gerrans took the leader's ochre jersey. But Valverde was delighted with his first victory since winning the Tour of Romandie -- one of many wins in 2010 to be annulled because of his doping ban.

After two years out of the sport, one-day classics specialist Valverde was delighted to be back on the podium.

"I'm super happy—I can't believe it," said the Spaniard, whose ban was related to his implication in the "Operation Puerto" drugs scandal which erupted in 2006. "My team were brilliant throughout the stage; I won thanks to them.

"It's an emotional moment for me. I want to dedicate this win to all the people who have been there for me during my time off the bike.